Pacheco’s Ginda turning heads at Nike camp

Pacheco High junior Frank Ginda helped out his college visibility this spring with his performance at the Nike Sparq Training Camp, and is currently ranked No. 84 in the nation in the Sparq leaderboard.

Pacheco High junior Frank Ginda helped out his college visibility this spring with his performance at the Nike Sparq Training Camp, and is currently ranked No. 84 in the nation in the Sparq leaderboard.

The training camp is different from the Sparq Combine, which Ginda attended last year in Oakland.

“The Sparq Combine is a rating where they put together your 40 time, shuttle, vert, medicine balls and they provide an overall rating,” Pacheco coach David Snapp said. “He didn’t go to the Sparq Combine, he got invited to the Nike combine. The Saturday one he went to in LA had 2,000 kids. The next day, 300 kids were invited to camp, the more prestigious one.”

The training camp is geared more toward position-specific drills and one-on-one scenarios. More than 7,000 athletes have participated this year. Ginda originally entered at No. 62, but as more training camps have been held, he has slid down the list.

“I think getting in there is one step, and performing is another,” Snapp said. “He’s going against kids that have had their name out there for a couple of years, and he’s holding his own. I’m getting calls daily from different universities. His name’s getting out there, it’s just a matter of showing you’re not just another name. I think he’s doing everything he needs to do, and I think he’s opening some people’s eyes.”

Ginda, at 6 feet and 230 pounds, posted a 4.83 in the 40-yard dash, a 4.38 in the shuttle drill, a 33.5-inch vertical and a 40 in the medicine ball drill for an overall score of 104.22. The junior running back/linebacker was slated to be Pacheco’s starting middle linebacker and No. 2 running back, but stepped into the starting position when Kalama Kamoku tore ligaments in his knee during a summer passing camp.

Ginda responded by becoming Pacheco’s first thousand-yard rusher, carrying the ball 129 times for 1,116 yards despite playing with his hand in a cast the last three games with a wrist fracture. He added more than 80 tackles, with three sacks and three interceptions as the Panthers went 7-4 with a first-round playoff exit. Snapp said Ginda will fit the college game better as a linebacker than on the offensive side of the ball.

Snapp will also have a dilemma on his hands this fall with both Kamoku and Ginda healthy. Snapp has talked about possibly moving Ginda to more of an H-back, tight end position.

“We haven’t fully decided on that yet,” Snapp said. “It would be foolish to take him completely out of the backfield, but if Kalama’s healthy and isn’t missing a step, we have lots of options we’ll be working on over the summer. It’s going to make us a more versatile team.”